


The Idea of You

by iamthatmonster



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 02:05:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5767141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthatmonster/pseuds/iamthatmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is the I-Don't-Give-a-Fuck badass with a crush he'll never admit.</p>
<p>Gavin is the captain of the football team, way out of Michael's league jock who hardly knows Michael exists.</p>
<p>Neither knows what fate has in store for them, but odds are, it will include each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

No matter what anyone said, no matter what _he_ said, Michael Jones was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent straight.

Except that he wasn’t.

Every time he started to second guess that small fact, Michael refused to give it another shred of a thought. It didn’t matter that everyone constantly said that high school was the time and place to discover yourself, to realize your full potential, who you actually were.

It was all well and good for other people, Michael didn’t doubt that fact. People could make their own decisions, and it didn't have anything to do with him. But when it came to Michael himself, when it came to his own sexuality, Michael was definitely straight.

The fleeting glances he would shoot towards other guys were just that, fleeting glances. Nothing more, nothing less. They didn’t mean anything, he was only letting his eyes wander. The way he would later think back to those same guys didn’t mean anything either.

A particular boy named Gavin Free mattered least of all.

They were friends of course, best friends, when it came down to it. However, the fact of the matter was that they couldn’t be more different. Gavin was on the football team, despite how scrawny he was - Michael couldn’t care less about sports (though he had to admit, sometimes he’d watch a game or two, simply to see Gavin).

Their playful flirting was nothing more than a joke, something that the two of them would do to mess with each other or pull a blush to the other’s cheeks in order to embarrass them. 

Of course, that was all it was.

Except that it wasn’t.

No matter how many times Michael tried to convince himself, no matter what he said - it all led back to the same place.

Michael Jones was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent _fucked._

 

_——_

 

It was seven o’clock on a Monday morning, and Michael wasn’t sure why he had even gotten out of bed. 

Thankfully, due to his spot on the bus, no one seemed to be paying much attention to him, much less talking to him. If anyone so much as tried, Michael wasn’t sure they'd make it off the bus in the same condition they got on in.

Just as the thought was crossing his mind, he felt his seat dipping beneath him as a result of another sitting down next to him. Sighing, Michael turned from where he had been staring out the window to see who he had to deal with this morning. 

“Morning, Michael,” the boy exclaimed cheerfully, and Michael swore he wanted to punch him. Then he was returning his gaze to where it had been before. 

“Ray, you asshole,” he groaned, his voice a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “Cut the shit and drop that fake ass excitement. You don’t want to be here any more than I do.” Ray looked shocked, then offended, and placed a dainty hand to his chest.

Michael rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe that you would accuse me of something like that,” Ray exclaimed, though the tone of his voice was clearly joking. “I for one, enjoy school. Unlike some people I know.”

“Again, you’re an asshole.”

Ray chuckled, shrugging his shoulders before shoving at Michael’s. “Yeah, maybe just a bit,” he said. “But I can’t help it. You’re over here, looking so tired and pissed that I _had_ to fuck with you.”

“I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

A bit of a scoff left Michael’s lips, but then he was giving it a bit more thought. Ray was completely correct, he didn’t mean it for a second. That didn’t mean he was going to admit it. “Actually, I do.”

The look that made its way across Ray’s face was essentially a pout and Michael couldn’t help but roll his eyes once more. However, he was much more amused than he had been before Ray had made his way onto the bus.

“I think you saved my ass today, Ray.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“With the mood I was in before you hopped on board, I wasn’t convinced that I wasn’t going to kill someone. I’m not going to prison because of you. Thanks.”

Ray laughed at the words, attempting to make himself look bigger by squaring his shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what friends are for. If the guy deserved it though, I might be the one encouraging you. So don’t thank me yet.”

The boy’s only response was to nod, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a bit of a smile. Then a groan was escaping his lips and he was running his hands over his face. “I can’t believe I’m even here, to be completely honest with you. I stayed up way too late last night, I feel like shit.”

“Weren’t prepared to get up at the ass crack of dawn?”

“Not particularly, no. It’s something I’d rather never see.”

Chuckling more, Ray held something out to Michael. For a moment, Michael was confused, before he realized what it was.

A paper cup of coffee.

Quickly, he grabbed the cup from Ray. His chilly fingers warmed slightly at the feeling of the hot liquid through the paper, and he huffed a bit through his nose. “I’m not going to get your cooties from this, am I?”

“Nah, I’ve got my own,” the boy said, holding up a near identical cup. “I know you, I know how you are on Monday mornings. If you showed up, I wanted to be prepared.” 

Michael shot Ray a grateful look over where he was holding the cup to his face, before taking a long drink. Luckily, it wasn’t hot enough to burn, and then he was letting out a relieved sigh. “Thanks Ray, you’re the best.”

“I thought I was an asshole.”

Thinking about that for a long moment, Michael nodded. “You are,” he said finally. “But my friends are allowed to be assholes.”

“Why, because you’re one too?”

“More or less.”

That was all it took for Ray to nod, an amused look making its way across his face. “Fair enough.” Then he was taking a drink of his own, sighing in relief. “This day had better hurry the fuck up and end already. I don’t care that it hasn’t even started yet, I need it to be over.”

“Agreed,” Michael said with a nod. “But at least we have coffee to help us make it.”

 

——

 

When the boys finally arrived at the school, Michael was a good bit more awake than he had been before. 

Ray had contributed greatly to that fact, and Michael was grateful. It wouldn’t have been the first time this year that he had fallen asleep in class, despite the fact that he actually had decent grades. 

He understood the material, unlike some of the other students, and was in fact slightly bored by it. Boredom was the majority of his problems that he had with school, and he wished that he didn’t have to come at all. Sometimes he wouldn’t.

However, it was near the beginning of the year - the second week of his Sophomore year, to be exact, and he didn’t want the impression the teaches got of him to be _too_ shitty.

As he sorted through his locker, Michael racked his brain in an attempt to remember where he was supposed to be. His eyebrows knit together as he thought. _English I - no, that was last year. History - no, second period. God, it’s too fucking early for this bullshit._

Then the sound of a locker slamming shut directly beside him was pulling Michael to his thoughts. “Hey, earth to Michael,” a voice made it’s way through the silence, and Michael shook his head, finally resting his eyes on the girl the voice belonged to.

“Lindsay,” Michael sighed in relief. “Where am I supposed to be?”

The girl laughed, shaking her head. “Ray said he was bringing you coffee. Did he forget? Did he drink it all?”

Michael looked annoyed. “No, I fucking got it,” he snapped. “Didn’t help, especially considering that I don’t want to _be here._ ”

“Sorry princess, but as it turns out, none of us do.”

Huffing in frustration, Michael was about to snap, but then the bell was ringing. “Lindsay,” he said in exasperation. “Please-”

“Fucking hell, you really should save your schedule. Or at least pay fucking attention to where you are for the rest of the year. You’re in Geometry first. Better get going.”


	2. Chapter 2

For what must have been the hundredth time that day, Michael wondered why he had even bothered showing up.

Luckily, Ray just so happened to be in his Geometry class, though he had been seated halfway across the room, in a desperate attempt to keep the two boys apart. It wouldn’t have been the first time Michael and Ray had disrupted the class due to being a bit too close. 

Despite the fact that they had been separated, Michael caught Ray’s eye, rolling his own a second later. Then he was leaning heavily on his hand, trying desperately to keep himself from falling asleep as the teacher droned on and on.

He would do fine on the test, he always did.

However, he’d like to avoid the potential detention if at all possible.

Just then, Michael was being pulled from his thoughts by a loud commotion coming from the hallway, increasingly getting louder as the person responsible got closer. Knitting his eyebrows together, Michael turned to look towards the door. 

In a matter of seconds, someone was bursting through, and he looked nothing short of out of breath. 

Gavin Free. 

As soon as he realized who it was, Michael was looking away, the slightest traces of a flush making its way to his cheeks. He hated that he got like this, that his body involuntarily reacted to the other boy’s mere presence in the room. 

He felt like the stereotypical boy with a crush on a guy who would never want him. Ray was the one catching his gaze then, raising his eyebrows slightly and waggling them. As a response, Michael was flipping him off, though his blush only deepened at the action.

“Sorry I’m late, Mr. Sorola.” Gavin’s voice drifted through the room, and Michael tried not to focus on his accent too much. Every time he thought about it being directed at him, about how he would sound saying _Michael’s_ name, he always got flustered.

Damnit, too late.

The teacher’s voice was sharp, blunt, slightly annoyed. “Please take a seat, Mr. Free.”

Michael couldn’t help himself from letting his eyes drift over to Gavin once more - he was wearing his letterman jacket, not that seeing that was anything of a surprise to Michael. He’d have been more surprised if Gavin _wasn’t_ wearing it.

That was when Michael realized that there was only a single seat left in the class. And that seat just so happened to be directly to Michael’s right. It shouldn’t have affected him the way it did, it shouldn’t have made him blush.

But then Gavin was looking him directly in the eyes, shooting him a bright smile as he sat down heavily in the seat, and Michael had to hold back a groan. 

He was fucked, no doubt about it.

 

——

 

The rest of the morning dragged on for far longer than Michael would have liked. 

Throughout the day he managed to catch several of his friends for a few minutes, exchanging a few minutes of conversation before he was ushered on to his next class. Thankfully, Lindsay had managed to find his schedule for him, though Michael still wasn’t sure how she had found it when he had scoured the exact location it had been.

He still wasn’t convinced she hadn’t placed it there herself. 

By the time lunch finally rolled around, Michael couldn’t have been more relieved. 

Wandering into the cafeteria, lunch in hand, Michael began to allow his eyes to wander around the room. He was looking for someone, anyone that he recognized. Then his eyes were settling on Gavin.

_Okay, no. Not Gavin, you can’t sit with him._

Despite the fact that he knew that, Michael still couldn’t bring himself to look away. Then he was being pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Ray’s voice cutting through the noise. “Hey, Michael! Over here!”

Turning on his heel, Michael settled his eyes on the other boy. He was sitting at a table, though he wasn’t by himself as Michael had been expecting. Lindsay was also there, alongside Miles and Kerry, as well as Jeremy, who was the latest addition to their little group. At the sight of his friends, Michael felt his body relaxing, and then he was strolling over to them.

As he slipped in between Lindsay and Ray, Michael wrapped his arms around their shoulders. “I sure hope you guys realize you’re the only reason I put up with this bullshit.”

The group laughed, and then Ray was shoving at him. “Yeah, I can pretty much guarantee that any of us could say the same thing.” No one seemed to disagree, and then Michael was shrugging.

“Fair enough.”

As he began to unpack his lunch, Michael tried to strike up a conversation. “So,” he said simply. “What were you guys talking about before I showed up?”

“Not much,” Miles replied through a mouthful of food. “Just all of us were fucking hungry. We were taking bets on whether or not you’d show up.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I bet you wouldn’t. So did Ray and Jeremy.”

Turning to Lindsay, Michael raised his eyebrows. “So you were betting that I _would_ show?”

The girl laughed, shrugging her shoulders. “Not just me, Kerry was with me. And you’re not allowed to give us shit for thinking the best of you. You did show up, after all.” She shot him a shit-eating grin, and then Michael was chuckling, taking a bite of his own sandwich he had packed that morning.

The group fell into a comfortable silence then, no one seeming to think much of it. After a bit, Ray was the one to break the lack of conversation. “Michael has a crush.” He said simply, and Michael almost choked on his lunch.

“Ray, what the fuck.”

The boy laughed at the response, and then he was shrugging his shoulders. “Well I’m not fucking wrong. You’ve got the biggest, head over fucking heels crush I’ve ever seen in my goddamn life.” Michael felt his cheeks starting to warm at the words, and then he was shaking his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

In a naive attempt to look for assistance,Michael began to look around the table, eyes moving from person to person. To his dismay, everyone looked curious, and not a single soul looked interested in helping him.

“Who is it?” Kerry asked, though he was speaking more to Ray than to Michael. Knitting his eyebrows together in frustration, Michael turned to Ray. The look on his face was nothing short of fierce, but Ray only laughed.

“You’re so cute when you think you can intimidate me,” he joked, kicking Michael’s leg under the table. Sometimes Michael was annoyed that he had been friends with the boy for as long as he could remember - he couldn’t exactly cut off ties now.

Then Ray was turning to the rest of the group, a knowing look on his face. “Gavin,” he said simply, and Michael felt his stomach twist lightly as he groaned. “Michael has a crush on _Gavin._ ”

“Gavin _Free?_ ” Jeremy was the one speaking now, and Michael narrowed his eyes in the boy’s direction. “I mean, I don’t blame you, but don’t you think he’s a little out of your league?”

“He is,” Lindsay affirmed, and Michael was groaning once more.

“Fuck all of you,” he said simply, and then he was rolling his eyes. “You all suck and I hate every one of you. Especially Ray, since I definitely do _not_ have a crush on Gavin. I’m not gay.”

Several chuckles came from a few people around the table, Lindsay and Miles by far the most noticeable. “ _Sure_ you’re not,” Ray said. “That’s why you were staring at him with fucking hearts in your goddamn eyes in Geometry.”

Michael felt his face get even warmer at the words. Had he really been that obvious? He hadn’t thought that he had, he had thought-

“Ray, please,” Lindsay said, and for a second Michael thought she was going to defend him. “He doesn’t have to be _gay_. But he could be bi.”

Rubbing his hands over his face, Michael tried to cover what he was sure must be red. “I don’t like Gavin,” he repeated, trying to emphasize the words, as if that would help drill it through their brains. However, no one seemed convinced.

“ _Sure_ you don’t-” Ray was about to say more, when Lindsay cut him off.

“Oh shit, he’s looking over here.”

Michael felt his entire body tense at the words, though a part of him thought she might be fucking with him. He couldn’t help himself from checking, glancing over his should to the table he knew the other boy was seated at.

Sure enough, Gavin was staring in their general direction, raising his eyebrows and a bit of a smirk crossing his face when he caught Michael’s gaze. 

If Michael thought he had been blushing before, this was ten times worse. In a matter of seconds he was jerking his head back to his own table, his cheeks red. There were knowing looks on the face of each person and Michael responded by flipping them all off, carefully, one at a time.

When he had made his rounds, Michael crossed his arms over his chest, and he looked nothing short of pissed.

“Michael has a _cruush_ ,” Ray said again, drawing out the word and making his voice more singsongy than it had been before. 

This time Michael didn’t argue.


	3. Chapter 3

“Thank fuck that’s over,” Michael sighed in relief as he made his way onto the bus.

Ray followed, snickering quietly at his friend’s words. “It’s only the second week of school,” he commented, raising his eyebrows as he followed Michael to the back of the bus. “The first day of the second week. You do know that, don’t you?”

“It feels like it’s been so much longer than that,” Michael replied with a huff and a groan, but then he was shaking his head. “But yeah, I know.”

The other boy simply shrugged, and the expression on his face showed that he felt the same way. “I’m just ready to play some video games, take a goddamn breather.”

Michael nodded his agreement, leaning heavily back against his seat. “Of course, there’s also this shitty thing called homework-”

“Fuck that, at least for now.”

Laughing quietly, Michael kicked at Ray gently. “See, this is why I’m still friends with you even when you do embarrassing shit like tell everyone I have a crush on _Gavin Free._ ” His voice was hushed, as they were still surrounded by their peers. The last thing Michael wanted was for a rumor to start making it’s rounds.

“Only because it’s true.”

“No, that couldn’t be further from the truth. For the millionth time, I’m straight.”

Ray shrugged, holding up his hands in fake surrender. “Alright, alright,” he said with a shrug. “If you say so. But I hope you know that no one believes that for a goddamn second. It’s _alright_ , you know that, right?”

“What’s alright?”

“If you are. If you do. Like Gavin, I mean. Even if he is way out of your league, literally no one would blame you. That sexy British accent and all.”

A slightly irritated look made its way across Michael’s face and then he was flat out glaring at the other boy. “If you don’t shut your mouth, there won’t be any hanging out and playing video games today.”

“You don’t mean that.”

The look on Michael’s face softened at the words, and then he was groaning in the back of his throat. “Fine, maybe I don’t. But I’ll be pissed.”

“Nah, not for long. You can’t stay mad at this face.” At the words, he placed his hands under his chin, effectively framing his face, and then Michael was rolling his eyes. However, a smile was soon replacing the irritation.

“I hate you.”  
“No you don’t.”

 

——

 

As it turned out, Ray was right.

No matter how hard he tried, Michael was physically incapable of staying angry at him. It lasted a total of fifteen minutes; the remainder of the bus ride and a few minutes upon entering Michael’s house.

During those minutes, Michael didn’t say a word to the other boy, no matter how hard Ray had tried. However, after a handful of jokes and a lot of shoving, Michael was sighing. “Okay fine, you win.”

“Damn right I do. It’s about time.”

Rolling his eyes, Michael kicked at him before strolling off towards his bedroom. “Whatever.”

“Oh, you’re such a badass, Michael.” Ray’s words were teasing, faked, and Michael couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“How have I been friends with you for so long? Honestly, I should have been pissed enough to leave by now.” There was a hint of amazement in his voice, and Michael had to admit that he hadn’t faked it. Sometimes he thought about that very thing, about just how _long_ he and Ray had been friends.

“Because we were in elementary school,” Ray replied. “Kids are fucking blunt as hell, you weren’t any better. You’re still not. If anything, I should be asking _you_ why we’re friends. You’re more of an asshole than I am, any day of the week.”

“But especially on Mondays.”

“Especially on Mondays,” Ray agreed with a blunt nod of his head, and Michael let out a scoff through his teeth. Then he was throwing himself back and onto his bed, running his hands over his face as he let out of a groan.

“I might be too tired to play video games.”

At that, Ray started laughing, though it was obviously forced in an attempt to get Michael to laugh himself. Sticking up his middle finger, Michael kept his other hand over his face, trying to keep the smile starting to form on his face at least partially a secret.

“It’s only the second week of school, Michael.”

“You’re telling me you’re not fed up with it?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ray ran a hand through his hair. Then he was settling himself onto the bed next to Michael, kicking his leg gently. “I didn’t say that. But I figure, I’m going to have to be there a few more years anyways, might as well make the best of it.”

“Whoa, Ray? Being positive for once?”

The boy shrugged, a good-natured smile making its way across his face. “I don’t know,” he said simply. “A new year, a new me.”

“That shit’s all fake.”

“Maybe. But what’s not fake is that I want to play video games. Like really, really fucking want to play video games. I’ve been looking forward to this all day, don’t know about you. Ready to get your ass beat?”

It was obviously a transition from the seriousness of the previous conversation, something to make the atmosphere a bit more lighthearted. Sometime they might make their way back to the conversation, maybe with more people involved. But for the time being it was obvious that Ray was finished.

Michael couldn’t agree more.

Sitting straight up from where he had been laying, Michael reached for a controller, handing one to Ray as well. Then he was shooting a cocky smile in Ray’s direction. “Yeah, in your fucking dreams. You’re the one that’s going to get your ass beat.”

 

——

 

Several hours later, the two were still playing. 

This was a typical weeknight occurrence for them, usually alternating back and forth between their houses. Occasionally other people got involved for a full out game night, though that was more typical of a weekend.

Due to his being so engrossed in their game, Michael almost leapt out of his skin when his phone went off, vibrating and making a noise at the same time.

“Jesus Christ!” He shouted, jumping back further onto the bed, his heart racing. Just then, Ray took the edge, killing Michael’s character and yelling in victory.

“K.O. motherfucker! Your ass is down and it’s staying down!” Then he was looking back over his shoulder, a grin plastered across his face. “I don’t even care if circumstances were fucked, I goddamn won the shit out of that.”

“Ray, I fucking swear-”

“Who was so kind as to confirm my victory?”

Knitting his eyebrows together, Michael shook his head. In his surprise and shock, the last thing he had thought to do was check. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he huffed at the name that had crossed the front screen.

“Fucking Lindsay, I can’t believe-”

“What does she want?”

Lindsay had been a friend of Michael’s for almost as long as Ray had, making their dynamic duo an inseparable trio. Opening the message, Michael laughed. “Are you and Ray doing games tonight?” He read aloud. 

As he responded to the message, he spoke the words aloud as he typed. “Yeah. You just cost me the game, you bitch.”

In a matter of seconds, Lindsay had replied.

“You’re the bitch. You were probably going to lose anyways. Your place or Ray’s?”

“Who said you get to come?”

The time before the response was a bit longer that time, but it came just the same. “I did. Now answer the fucking question.”

Again, Michael laughed, looking to Ray for approval, who only shrugged and nodded. 

“Mine.”

“Be there in ten.”


	4. Chapter 4

 

“I can’t believe you just _invited yourself_ over to my house,” Michael said, trying to hide the amusement in his tone as he stared at the girl in front of him.

Lindsay had held true to her commitment, and had arrived at Michael’s house a mere matter of moments later. Then she was laughing, rolling her eyes. “You’re fucking hilarious,” she replied, and the sarcasm was blatant in her voice. “I mean, it’s not like I’ve been doing this for the entirety of our lives or anything.”

“No, I honestly can’t believe-”

“I can believe it,” Ray cut in, and Lindsay was shooting him a grin as a response. 

“See, at least someone knows me.”

At that, Michael couldn’t help but laugh softy, rolling his eyes. “Okay, fine. You win, this isn’t a surprise to me at all. But I am a bit curious - what exactly made you _want_ to come over? Any reason in particular? Because that tends to happen too, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Narrowing her eyes, the girl seemed to be considering something. Most likely she was trying to determine whether his comment had been an insult or not. Then she was shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. 

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Part of me just wanted to hang out with you guys. It feels like it’s been way too long.” Though Michael didn’t agree with her, he didn’t quite trust that there were no ulterior motives behind her actions. 

Studying his face for a long minute, Lindsay again looked to be considering something. However, before she was able to speak, Michael was interrupting her. 

“What does the other part of you want to do?”

“She wants to make fun of you,” Ray piped up. “About you and your massive fucking crush on the one and only Gavin Free.” Michael’s eyes were growing wide at that, and then he was letting out a puff of air through his nose. 

“You fucking are, aren’t you?” He exclaimed, and then Lindsay was giggling.

“Maybe a little.”

Groaning exaggeratedly, Michael threw himself back onto his bed once more. Dramatically throwing an arm across his face, Michael replied. “I can’t goddamn believe this shit. My friends are fucking assholes.”

“We’ve always been assholes,” Ray replied, and then Michael was sighing. 

“You’re not wrong.”

There was a bit of a silence that overtook the room at that, and then Michael was removing his arm from his quickly reddening face. Forcing himself into a sitting position, Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “Alright, fine,” he said, and the look that had plastered itself across his face was nothing short of stubborn. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

For a long minute, neither Lindsay nor Ray replied, only grinning at each other before turning to look at Michael. “Nothing to get over,” Ray teased. “You have a crush, plain and simple.”

“I don’t fucking-”

“You _do_ ,” Lindsay cut him off. “You absolutely fucking do, there’s no arguing with me on it, I’m sorry. But I saw the way you looked at him, I know that look. You’re crushing so fucking hard.”

“Even if I did,” Michael said, “Then it doesn’t much matter anyways. As you guys were so kind as to say earlier, Gavin is _way_ out of my league. Not just a little, a lot. Plus, I’m pretty sure he’s not gay either. Pretty goddamn sure.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” Ray said with a shrug. “But that doesn’t mean that he’d never be interested. People do crazy things when they’re drunk, that’s why I don’t do it. But Gavin does.”

Biting down on his lip, Michael was immediately pushing the thought out of his mind. He didn't know why, but he didn’t want to focus on the idea for too long. Even though his friends were absolutely right - even though he absolutely did have an utterly hopeless crush - the thought of anything actually becoming of it _scared him._

He found it much easier to deny the facts, to pretend like there was nothing there, even when there blatantly was. It didn’t matter how much shit he got for it, Michael would never admit it. He had promised himself that much.

Those were the thoughts running through his mind as Lindsay and Ray continued the conversation.

“Hey Michael - Michael, what the fuck?” Ray laughed, shaking his head and shoving roughly at the other boy. “You alright, buddy? We didn’t send you into shock, did we?”

Instinctively, Michael flipped him off and then Ray was laughing harder. 

“Ray, don’t be too shitty,” Lindsay said a moment later. Her tone was slightly hesitant, and she was studying Michael’s face intently. “I mean, I know it’s fun to fuck with him, I know that better than anyone. But don’t push it.”

The sound of her voice had become a tad bit more intense, as if she had realized that any further and they might have taken it a bit too far. Michael shot her a grateful look, and he could feel the tension that had been building up starting to relax. Lindsay only shook her head and smiled, nodding her head towards the television.

“How about we do what I came over here to do in the first place and play some damn games.”

 

——

 

A couple more hours, and the trio was still playing. 

It had become a habit, a way to bond with each other, despite the fact that they would probably benefit more from doing their homework. They were building relationships, they had told their parents. That’s way more important in the long run than anything they could learn at school.

However, despite the fact that they were still playing, the attention of the small group had shifted slightly more to conversation over the games. 

“So… honestly, how’s the beginning of the school year treating you guys?” Ray asked, currently laying on his stomach and propping his face in his hands. He was watching Lindsay and Michael play a co-op game, and had been for a decent amount of time. The boy had begun to get bored and this was as good a way to pick up the mood as any.

“Kind of hard to tell at this point,” Michael said with a shrug, his eyes still affixed to the screen. “Still early on in the year you know. One week and a day down, lots more to go.”

“I think he’s trying to say that it’s been going okay, which is what I was going to say as well,” Lindsay replied through a grin. 

“Stop putting words into my mouth.”

“Sorry, but when you’re vague like that it’s just way too easy.”

There was a slight silence after that, most everyone focused on the game in front of them. Then Michael was making a pained noise, as if the hits he had taken in the game had physically affected him. “Fucking hell,” he muttered as he began to mash the button to respawn. “Whatever. You want to take over, Ray?”

“You sure, dude? Don’t want to ruin your fun.”

Michael scoffed, and then he was shaking his head, handing off the controller. “I’m sure. I’m not having that much fun anyways, not with how fucking often I’ve been dying. Probably you’ll do better than me, and I’ve been hogging it for a while.”

Ray shrugged - it never took him long to give into the temptation.

Then he was switching places with Michael, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as Michael leaned back against the headboard. Lindsay hadn’t said a word throughout the whole exchange, but the second the other boy sat down next to her she was groaning.

“Gross, I have to play with you.”

“You’re lucky. As we all know, I’m by far the best at games.” He was bragging, though the words were slightly sarcastic. Then Lindsay was rolling her eyes.

“See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to play with you.”

Michael laughed at the words, crossing his legs at the ankles as he stretched out over the bed. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but by the way his body was starting to ache and his eyes were starting to droop, it was probably getting late.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Michael glimpsed the time - 11:27 - before starting to fiddle with it. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but he browsed a couple of social media sites, chuckling every now and again.

“Looks like there was a party tonight,” he said, and then Lindsay was looking back at him over her shoulder.

“Really? I never heard about it.”

“Figured. You would have been there, not here.”

The look that crossed Lindsay’s face was that of fake offense, and then she was placing a hand to her chest. “Michael, I’m hurt. I would never skip out on you guys to go drink, not in a million years.”

Again, Michael was laughing, shaking his head as he moved to continue scrolling through photo after photo. Then he was seeing something that stole his breath away, though he hated that it did. 

“Damn.”

“What?” Ray didn’t seem interested, but he was still willing to try and get a conversation started. Michael appreciated that.”

“Gavin looked fucking good.”

As a response to his words, Lindsay and Ray laughed. 

Then Lindsay was speaking, and as Michael continued to stare at the photo of the boy, he couldn’t bring himself to argue. 

“Yep, he’s got you, alright. Hook, line and sinker.”


	5. Chapter 5

That had been enough of an admission for Lindsay and Ray.

For the rest of the night, neither of them so much as mentioned Gavin, figuring that Michael simply stating he found him attractive was the extent of his abilities for the night. Michael appreciated that, though he had tried to push the thoughts of Gavin out of his mind almost as soon as he had spoken them aloud. 

Though they wouldn’t hesitate to tease him, Michael trusted his friends. t

They wouldn't be the ones to spread rumors, and if something started going around he would be comfortable saying that neither of them was the root of it. That was the sort of confidence that came from being friends with someone for years on end.

In this case, it was the case for several people.

It hadn’t taken long after that for the friends to fall asleep, passed out on the bed and without having even touched their homework. Michael was the first to wake up in the morning, and he simply lounged around until Lindsay woke as well.

“Shit,” she cursed, almost immediately upon wakening. “I had so much homework last night, I swear to fuck-”

“Copy someone else’s,” Michael said with a shrug, stretching his arms above his head. “I mean that, or just don’t do it.”

Making an irritated noise, Lindsay seemed to relax at the words. “I guess you’re right,” she said slowly, her eyebrows pulling together as she gave a curt nod. However, it was obvious that her body was still tense, and Michael rolled his eyes.

“Come on, I know you don’t give a shit.”

With the words, he was reaching out towards Ray with his foot, kicking him gently in the shoulder. The boy groaned, rolling onto his side and turning his back to face the other two. “No,” he simply mumbled, and then Michael was chuckling. 

“Hey asshole,” he said, once more pushing on him with his foot. “Hey, it’s time to get up, dipshit.”

Ray groaned once more, and then he was throwing an arm over his face. “No, go away. Fucking asshole.”

Then Lindsay was shoving at him as well - it wasn’t exactly uncommon for the two of them to have to gang up on Ray to cut through his stubbornness. “It’s time for school,” Lindsay said, and the tone of her voice was sweet, despite how hard she was shoving at him. 

“Don’t wanna go today, mom.”

Both Michael and Lindsay were laughing at that, rolling their eyes. Lindsay was the one to finally break, shoving him off of the bed completely. Ray yelped before he hit the ground, grabbing for the edge in a desperate attempt to break his fall.

It didn’t work, and he landed heavily with a loud thump. 

The groan that followed was understandable, and for a second Lindsay almost looked like she felt bad. Then Ray was poking his head up and over the edge of the bed, his ruffled hair and slightly reddened eyes revealing how tired he really was.

“I hate both of you,” he declared, making a pained noise as he pulled himself to his feet. Glaring at Lindsay, he pointed at her before responding. “Especially you.”

“You couldn’t hate this face.” The words were slightly mocking, in an obvious attempt to imitate Ray’s own phrase. Then Ray was rolling his eyes, laying back onto the bed once more. At the sight of Lindsay’s foot coming towards him once more, Ray cringed, putting his hands out in front of him to protect himself.

“Okay, okay,” he exclaimed, pushing himself up once more, this time into a sitting position. “Okay, I give. I’m up.”

The grin that crossed Lindsay’s face was nothing short of familiar to the two boys, and Michael was the one laughing first. “Okay,” he said, once he had finally caught his breath. “Okay fine, I’m glad you invited yourself over here.”

“You weren’t glad before?”

Michael scoffed at that, but the smirk on his face revealed his true feelings.

“Of course I was, don’t be ridiculous.”

 

——

 

Despite their attempt to actually get to school on time, by the time the three arrived first period was already fifteen minutes underway.

Michael cursed under his breath as he spied the empty hallways - he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting - maybe for classes to have been postponed for some reason. He had known that it was a desperate wish for something that would never happen, but he had wished it just the same.

If he was being honest, Michael wasn’t even sure why he cared. 

“I can’t believe we’re _still_ late,” he huffed, and Ray raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at him. 

“You generally don’t give a fuck. Why-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael cut him off with a shake of his head. “At least I don’t have to fucking waltz into class on my own. You were lucky enough to be put in the same class.”

“I was aware of that, yes,” Ray replied, and then Lindsay was huffing.

“Lucky bastards.”

Then she was turning her back to the other two, flipping them off as she half walked, half jogged away. Michael laughed at that, shaking his head as he turned back to Ray. “Alright then,” he said finally. “Guess that’s our cue.”

Ray shot him an amused look, but then he was nodding. “Yeah, guess so.”

Not another word was passed between the two on the way to class, and when they arrived outside the door, Michael was the one pushing through first. The eyes of every person in the room lifted to stare at the two boys and Michael was quick to notice that everyone else was already there.

Even Gavin, who was always late, had already arrived.

Internally cursing, Michael simply turned to look at the teacher. “We’re late,” he said simply, and then Mr. Sorola was nodding, an unamused look plastered across his face. 

“Yes, we can see that. Thank you for stating the extremely obvious. Take your seats.”

“They were probably having sex, look at his hair.” Michael wasn’t sure who the voice had come from, but he huffed out a noise of annoyance in response. However, before he could let out a sharp retort, Ray was slinging an arm around Michael’s shoulders.

“Damn right we were,” he announced, and then Michael was turning to glare at him instead. Shoving the other boy off of him, Michael rolled his eyes, trying to dull the red he could feel starting to rise to his cheeks.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gavin staring at him, an amused smirk plastered across his face. 

Of fucking course.

 

——

 

The rest of the class seemed to drag on forever, and to Michael it was absolute misery.

Finally, after long last, the bell was ringing and the tension immediately seemed to dissipate from Michael’s body. He got to his feet immediately, ready to make a dash for the door.

However, before he could get to that point, someone was tapping him on the shoulder.

Sighing exasperatedly, Michael turned on his heel, but then he was stopping dead in his tracks. Gavin stood in front of him, a sexy half smile playing at his lips.

Michael couldn’t help but swallow roughly, staring intently at the other boy’s face. “O-oh. Hey, what’s… did you need something?”

The other boy simply smiled and shrugged, and he looked nothing if not amused. For a long minute, he thought Gavin was laughing at him, but then Gavin was shrugging his shoulders. 

“Not necessarily. But I just wanted to let you know that I’m having a party this Friday night. If you wanted to come, I’d like that. You can even bring your boyfriend.” At the words, he was nodding his head in Ray’s general direction, who had stopped at the door to wait for him and was now watching with wide eyes.

Blushing deeply, Michael shook his head. “That’s Ray,” he said simply. “And he’s not my boyfriend. We weren’t fucking. That’s just his sense of humor, you know. Putting me on the fucking spot like a little shit.”

Gavin laughed at his words, and then he was shrugging once more. “Well, whatever. Bring him or don’t, bring all your friends if you want. I don’t mind. But…” he trailed off, seeming to consider what he was about to say. “But I’d really like it if you could make it.”

With that, he was winking and walking away, leaving a confused and embarrassed Michael in his wake.


	6. Chapter 6

“Holy shit, you’re fucking serious?”

Much to Michael’s annoyance, but not necessarily to his surprise, Ray had felt the need to share the news of his invitation with Lindsay.

Though the girl had been looking at Ray, she then turned to Michael, her eyes shining and bright. “Goddamn, maybe Gavin has a crush too.” Despite the fact that Michael’s cheeks were warming at the words, he shook his head.

“It’s not like that,” he said simply, and neither of his friends looked convinced.

“And how exactly do you know that?” Ray asked, the corners of his lips tugging upwards and into a smile. When there was no immediate response, Ray was laughing knowingly. “See? You don’t.”

Despite the fact that it only served to egg the others on, Michael flipped him off.

“Defensive much?” The tone of Lindsay’s voice was amused, raising her eyebrows as she looked to Michael. Shrugging his shoulders, Michael looked away.

“I’m not being defensive,” he said shortly. “But you two are being assholes.”

“Maybe so,” Ray said, accenting the words with a nod of his head. “But at least we can admit it. Unlike you, who seems so intent to make sure everyone knows there’s nothing going on between you and Gavin.”

“Because there’s not!”

“Not yet.”

The sigh that left Michael’s lips at that was one of pure exasperation, and then he was running his hands over his face. “If I admit it, then will you two shut the fuck up for once in your goddamn lives?”

“Yes!”

“Absolutely.”

For a long moment, Michael considered it. Actually, it was probably a lot longer thanwhat could be considered a moment, but then he was shaking his head. “Nah, I’m not going to lie to you guys like that, even if it would get you to shut your goddamn mouths.”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit.” Lindsay’s words were nothing if not annoyed, and Ray was quick to back her up.

“She’s not wrong.”

“Have I ever told you guys that I hated you?”

“You have, on multiple occasions.”

“Probably because it’s true.”

Even though his words were harsh, the small smile that crossed his face helped to reveal just how untrue they were. There was a bit of silence before any of them spoke again, and it was Lindsay who finally did.

“So you’re bringing us to that party, yeah?”

 

——

 

After Michael had agreed to allow them to come, they seemed to quiet a bit, at least for a little while.

That was a relief to Michael, who had started to think that he would never hear about anything else, ever again. Lindsay had agreed to drive the boys back to her house, which was always a relief to Michael and Ray, who utterly despised the long periods of time they spent on the bus.

The plans had been made at lunch, while the rest of their friends had groaned and complained.

“How come we never get to join you guys for game night?” Jeremy had complained, and Miles was quick to back him up.

“Jeremy is right. It’s always you three. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know you’re the inseparable trio or whatever, but damn. Think you could make some room for someone else every once in a while?”

Rolling her eyes, Lindsay shrugged. “If you want to explain to my parents why I have a million fucking people over, without it being a party, then be my guest. Or if one of you guys want to host, then-”

“I’ll do it,” Kerry piped up, and Lindsay was turning her attention to him curiously. 

“Yeah?”

The boy shrugged, an embarrassed look making its way across his face. “No matter how many times I tell my parents that I have friends other than Miles, they don’t believe me. Got to see it to believe it, I guess. If I have a bunch of people over, it’ll be nothing but good. I think.”

There was a bit of a silence, but then each person was agreeing, one by one.

Michael was the last to agree, glancing over his shoulder and back at Gavin. The other boy was laughing and joking with his friends, only a few of whom he recognized. 

He wasn’t sure why exactly he had chosen that moment to look back at Gavin, had no idea what he had to gain by doing so. In fact, the only thing he truly gained was a handful of knowing looks. Then he was shrugging his shoulders, nodding sharply. 

“If you assholes are waiting on me, then I guess I’m down.”

 

——

 

When school ended, the group assembled outside the doors. 

“We’ll have to make a couple trips,” Lindsay said thoughtfully. “My car only seats five people and-”

“Lindsay, we’ll fit,” Jeremy said confidently. “I’m not that big, and neither are Ray or Kerry. Miles and Michael are kind of a different story, but I bet Kerry will cuddle with Miles. Michael sits up front with you.”

The girl seemed to consider it for a minute, and then she was nodding. “Alright,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders. “Fine. It’s not that long of a drive, though I’m tempted to shove one of you guys into the trunk instead. One of you fuckers should have your driver’s license by now. I’m tired of driving you assholes around everywhere.”

“We appreciate it,” Ray said, fluttering his eyelashes as he shoved her shoulder. Lindsay shoved him right back, rolling her eyes.

“You’d damn well better.”

Then everyone was loading into Lindsay’s car, following what Jeremy had suggested. Miles was against the left window, Kerry next to him. Ray and Jeremy followed, with Michael and Lindsay up front.

Unable to keep himself from being an asshole, at least temporarily, Michael fiddled with the controls on his seat, until it leaned backwards and into Jeremy and around half of Ray. The two boys groaned, and Michael sighed exaggeratedly.

“You were right Jeremy, there’s plenty of room.”

Ray huffed, glaring at what of Michael he could see. “You’re an asshole with a capital A. Is this payback for fucking with you about Gavin?”  
“Maybe just a bit.”

After laughing a bit, Lindsay shook her head. “Alright, let them go,” she said, shooting Michael a look. “Not driving until you do.”

“Stubborn.” However, as he spoke, Michael was lifting the seat once more. Both Jeremy and Ray let out relieved sighs, and then Michael was laughing himself. “Onward, to Kerry’s house.”

When the six were finally seated in Kerry’s bedroom about half an hour later, they all took a moment to relax. Michael’s eyes darted around the space - he, as well as everyone except for Miles, had never been in the room before.

“Fucking nerd fest up in here.”

“What, like you’re any better?” Kerry’s protest sounded almost panicked, and then Michael was laughing. 

“Never said it was a bad thing, just stating a fact.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this on a weeknight,” Miles said as he shook his head. “I mean, just me and Kerry, sure. But-”

“Don’t even fucking start with me,” Ray snapped. “You’re the one that interfered with our game night. You’re not allowed to complain.” Miles placed his hands in front of his body in a protective gesture, an amused smile on his face. 

“Okay, okay. Fuck, didn’t realize game night was such a sensitive topic.”

“Doesn’t even have to be just video games anymore,” Jeremy piped up. “Enough people to expand our horizons, especially later in the night. Just saying. Truth or dare is classic sleepover fuel.”

At the mention of truth or dare, a blush was making its way to Michael’s cheeks. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that any truths directed towards him would have to do with Gavin. All he could do was hope that the others would forget that Jeremy had even mentioned it.

The amused looks on the other’s faces and the eyes that moved to him weren’t convincing.


	7. Chapter 7

Perhaps through some form of magic, Michael managed to distract the group, at least for a little while.

Video games had taken over their main thoughts, despite the fact that the six of them couldn’t exactly play together, as much as they might want to. They took turns, back and forth, while whoever was taking their time out sat and watched intently.

After a while, they started to get hungry, which is what inevitably ended up pulling them away from the games. The second the console had been turned off, Michael found himself cringing despite himself.

Maybe they had forgotten, maybe-

“So truth or dare while we eat?” Ray suggested, and Michael couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips. Each and every person turned to face him then, amused smiles plastered across their lips.

“What, are you scared?” Miles asked, the tone of his voice teasing. “We’ve done it before, whats’s it gonna hurt to do it again?”

“It’s just so… stereotypical.” The excuse was quick, and Michael found himself scratching at the back of his neck. “I mean, anyone in high school plays truth or dare at get togethers like this, don’t you think-”

“And I think you know why that is,” Ray was cutting him off then, raising his eyebrows in amusement. “Because they’re trying to get the dirt on their friends. Now, I don’t know about these other guys, but I’m willing to admit to that being my exact reasoning.”

One by one, the rest of the group nodded, and Michael let out a long and heavy sigh. “I thought we were done with this,” he complained. “If you guys aren’t fucking careful, I’m going to leave you, all of you, once and for all.”

“What, are you going to go and join Gavin and his friends?” Jeremy asked, raising his eyebrows and giggling. “Think they know who you are, really?”

Michael shrugged at that, trying to ignore the saddened thoughts that were starting to cross his mind. What if Gavin only thought he was funny, he had enjoyed the comments Michael had made at the beginning of class? 

It wouldn’t have been the first time something like that had happened, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. As much as he liked to pretend that he was a badass that was immune to being mistreated by anyone, he was the first to know that was far from the truth.

The boy was pulled back to earth by a hand being waved in front of his face, causing Michael to blink several times, in an attempt to snap himself out of his prior thoughts. “What?”

Though he knew the words were harsh, firm, Michael couldn’t help himself from letting them out. It happened almost by instinct, and Miles, the person that had been waving the hand in front of his face, immediately shrunk back.

Placing his hands in front of him, Miles smiled weakly. “Okay, alright. Hold on there cowboy, I was just fucking around.” The rest of the small room chuckled, and Michael rolled his eyes.

“You’re really gonna get hurt one of these days,” Lindsay piped up, an amused look plastered across her face. If not by Michael, then by one of the rest of us. You can be really obnoxious when you put your mind to it.”

“Thank you, I try.”

Michael was scoffing at that, shaking his head and trying his hardest to push away the smile that was starting to form on his face. However, Kerry caught it, almost yelping in surprise.

“He’s laughing,” he announced. “He’s in a good mood, he-”

Before the boy was able to finish his sentence, Michael was tackling him completely off the bed. The two landed with a thump and Kerry struggled to get away, still rambling on about just how amusing Michael found the situation.

After a bit of wrestling, the others watching with amused expressions, Michael rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine.” He said with a shrug. “Maybe I’m not as much of a badass as I like to pretend I am. Fucking happy now?”

“No one ever thought you were,” Jeremy replied, patting Michael on the shoulder and forcing the other boy to turn and glare. Jeremy was the one to shrink back this time, and Lindsay giggled. 

“You’re letting him push you guys around,” she said with a shake of her head. “You can’t acknowledge him like that.” Then she was shoving at Michael’s shoulder, Michael crossing his arms over his chest as a result. “We’re playing truth or dare,” she said simply. “If you want to go home, then that’s a whole other story, but if you’re wanting to stay, that’s what the fuck we’re doing.”

Michael sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He had known Lindsay for long enough to know that she wasn’t joking - in fact, he had expected this outcome. It didn’t make him any happier about it.

“Fine,” he snapped. “If you guys are gonna be dicks about it. But I’m going to be digging up some dirt on you guys too. I’m not going to be the only one to talk.”

 

——

 

The group sat in a circle, after a few people had taken bathroom breaks and others still had taken time to mentally prepare themselves.

If he was being honest, Michael wasn’t sure why it was such a big deal. He trusted his friends, they had never done anything to betray his trust. They wouldn’t spread rumors around the school, they wouldn’t tell anyone without his permission. He had chosen his friends carefully for that very reason.

However, he couldn’t help himself from being nervous.

As they waited for Miles to join them from the kitchen, where he had went to get snacks, Lindsay shot Michael a concerned look. 

“You’re really okay with this, right?” The tone of her voice was soft, and Michael was shrugging her off a moment later. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”  
“You’re sure? Because we don’t have to-”

“Jesus Lindsay, you’re making this sound like sex. I’m fucking fine with it, I’ve been wanting to get some shit off my chest for a while now, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be like this.” The look that Lindsay shot him was one of disbelief and then she was shaking her head.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she spit out a response. “Fine, but don’t say that I wasn’t looking out for you.”

Before Michael had a chance to respond, Miles was returning with his arms full of snacks. “I have returned with sustenance,” he announced, plopping himself down in between Michael and Lindsay, setting the foot in the middle of their circle. “At least none of us will get hungry when we’re spilling our deepest, darkest secrets.”

Despite the fact that Michael sighed deeply, despite how hard he had been resisting the whole situation, he had known this was coming. The second he had agreed to spend the night at Kerry’s, he knew exactly where the night would lead.

He only wished that he had alcohol to accompany it.

“Michael goes first,” Lindsay said firmly.

“Yeah, Michael. Truth or dare?” Ray was the one piping up then, and Michael narrowed his eyes in his direction. 

“Kicking it right off, aren’t we?”

“Truth or dare,” Jeremy repeated, and then Michael was shaking his head.

“You guys are assholes. But let’s just get this shit over with. Truth.”

“You just fucked yourself,” Miles said, and before he was even finished speaking, Lindsay was asking her question.

Raising both eyebrows, the smirk that crossed her face was nothing if not obvious. “Do you want Gavin to fuck you?”

Michael had been in the middle of a drink, and for some reason he hadn’t expected the bluntness of the question. Choking on his drink, Michael burst into a fit of couching, his cheeks turning redder than the rest of the group had ever seen.

“Lindsay, I-”

“You picked truth, brought this upon yourself. You want it, don’t you? From what I’ve heard, which is a lot, he’s fucking amazing in bed. That accent and-”

“Lindsay!” Somehow, Michael had managed to get even redder than it had been previously, and the girl giggled. 

“Well? You still haven’t answered the question.”

There was a silence that followed the question, as Michael tried to determine how best to respond. After a long moment he was sighing, rubbing his hands over his face. “Yes.” 

It was a simple response, probably nowhere near what the others had been hoping for. However, it was a confession, just the same, and Michael couldn’t believe that the word had actually left his lips, no matter how quiet it might have been.

A few moments later, Michael felt someone slapping him on the shoulder, raising his eyes to see Ray staring at him with an amused expression plastered across his face. “See, was that so hard?”

“Actually, yeah. It was hell.”

“Bet Gavin will make you feel like you’re in heaven, come Friday night.” Jeremy waggled his eyebrows, and Michael could only glare. The other boy shrank back. “Okay, sorry. Bit much?”

“Let’s just play the damn game,” Michael replied with a roll of his eyes. “My turn’s over, even though I know it was the whole fucking reason you assholes wanted to do this in the first place. But there’s no way in hell you guys are getting off scott-free. Lindsay, you’re next.”


	8. Chapter 8

The group didn’t get to bed until late.

As time continued to pass, Michael knew that he was only making the next day worse for himself. It was going to be Wednesday, it wasn’t even halfway through the week yet. However, as typically comes with friends, they all continued to bounce off of each other.

At some point, someone had made a run for soda, something with enough sugar to keep them up for a few hours longer.

Michael just wanted to make sure everyone paid for making him spill his not-so-secret about Gavin.

Thus far, no one else had worked up the nerves to ask for truth after how pissed they had made Michael. Lindsay had licked a bar of soap, Miles had drank a concoction of Kerry’s creation.

Though Michael wasn’t exactly happy that they had managed to pull how he felt about Gavin out of him, he was definitely happy that he hadn’t had to do _that._ That didn’t stop his annoyance however, and he still wanted to be difficult.

“Kerry, your turn,” he said, his voice tense as he squared his shoulders. Kerry hardly took a second to think before answering.

“Dare.”

“You fucker,” Michael mumbled under his breath, racking his brain for something that would be sufficient. Then an idea was crossing his mind and his face was lighting up. The other boy almost looked scared, and the rest of the group certainly looked worried as they studied Michael’s face.

“I dare you to kiss Miles,” he said confidently, and Kerry was immediately protesting.

“What?! No! I’m not doing that, that’s not fair!”

The look Michael shot the other boy was innocent, and then he was grinning. “It’s perfectly fair,” he said with a shrug. Lindsay and Ray burst into quiet giggles as Michael continued. “You asked for a dare, I only gave you one.”

“You can’t include Miles in the dare, that’s not fair to him. It has to be me, only. House rules, and it’s my house.”

“That’s a bullshit excuse,” Michael exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. “One that I refuse to allow. I spilled the fucking news about Gavin, you have to make up for that somehow.”

Miles was shrugging then, the tiniest bit of a smirk making it’s way across his face. “I’m not opposed,” he spoke up, causing Kerry to sputter. 

“I, I-”

“Do it.”

The other boy cringed, turning to look at Miles with a pained expression on his face. “You’re an asshole,” he said firmly, directly to Miles’ face. “I can’t believe you’re going along with this.”

Again, Miles shrugged, laughing at the bitterness in the other boy’s tone. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad, it-” 

Then Kerry was cutting him off with a harsh kiss, even though it only lasted a couple of seconds. When he pulled away, Kerry groaned, rubbing at his mouth with his sleeve. Michael could have sworn that the two looked flushed.

“There, are you happy now?” Kerry asked, sticking his tongue out at Michael.

“I’m happy,” Miles offered, and then Kerry was groaning and shoving at him.

“I hate you,” he said simply. “I’m going to bed.”

It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to agree with him - by that point it was already nearing one in the morning, and all six of them had to be up the next morning if they wanted to make it to school.

If it was any later in the year, Michael wouldn’t have cared, but he really wanted to leave his skipping for later in the year, when the emphasis on attendance had at least somewhat died down.

Besides, he had to admit that he wouldn’t mind seeing Gavin.

As he lay on the floor, a pillow tucked underneath of his head and his mind racing, Michael tried to get Gavin off of his mind.

Unfortunately, that was a lot easier said than done.

 

——

 

When the group awoke the next morning, it was quickly apparent just how late they had stayed up.

Lindsay’s alarm went off at 6:30, causing groans to come from every corner of the room. “No, I don’t wanna,” Ray groaned, grabbing for a blanket to pull up and over his head. Miles followed his lead, shaking his head and throwing an arm across his face.

“My head fucking hurts,” Michael managed, rolling to press his face into a pillow, hoping that if he simply ignored it, the inevitability of school would go away. 

“Probably shouldn’t have stayed up that late,” Lindsay said, eternally the voice of reason, even when she sounded just as pained as the others. 

“Yeah, no shit.” Jeremy was the one responding then, and the bed dipped under the weight of someone rolling over. “But at least there was no alcohol involved. Headaches due to staying up late aren’t as bad as a hangover.”

“A hangover on a Wednesday, specifically.” Kerry piped up. “Never had one, don’t really want to.”

“Michael has,” Ray mumbled, the blankets still pulled over his head. “We were hanging out one night, he was drinking, I wasn’t. I’m sure you guys remember. He left school early because he felt so shit.”

“Already up and making fun of me, huh Ray?” Michael asked, forcing himself into a sitting position with a pained noise. “Goddamn. Think they’ll be able to tell we were hanging out last night?”

“Why, because we’re all fucked up?” Miles asked, moving himself to sit as well. His hair was beyond fucked up, and he rubbed his hands over his face. “Fuck, we could just skip. No one would notice.”

“That’s bullshit,” Lindsay replied, and as much as Michael hated to admit it, she was right.

Jeremy was the one to agree with her instead, nodding his head quickly. “Lindsay’s right,” he said. “They’re really buckling down on attendance at this point in the year, you all know that.”

“Fuck you.” Michael groaned once more, starting to push at the lump of covers that was Ray with his feet. If he had to push him off of the bed again, he would. The boy was certainly the heaviest sleeper of all of them, but when he felt the pressure he was protesting.

“Okay, alright. Fucking hell, I’m getting up.” Throwing the blankets back over his head, Ray groaned loudly. “I don’t want to, but I will.”

Just then, the lights were flicking on, and loud noises of disapproval came from each person. Lindsay stood by the light switch, squinting just as hard as the others. 

“Listen,” she said, raising her hands defensively. “I didn’t want to do that any more than the rest of you fuckers. But I can guarantee that every one of you fuckers agrees with my decision. Rip the goddamn bandaid off.”

Michael stuck up his middle finger, and several irritated grumbles came from the rest of the group. “Whatever,” Michael finally managed, making a strained noise as he forced himself to his feet. “Fine, fair enough.”

Ray, despite the situation, had pulled the covers back overhis head, and Michael was shoving him off the bed before leaving the room to find a bathroom. 

 

——

 

“Last night was a bad idea,” Michael groaned as he stood in front of his locker. His eyes shifted to Lindsay when he heard a chuckle, and then he was huffing. “You’re fucking laughing at me? What kind of friend are you?”

“The kind that makes fun of their friends,” Lindsay replied. “Don’t take it personally. Asshole.”

The corners of Michael’s lips were tugging up into a smile at that, and then he was shaking his head. “You just wanted me to spill it about Gavin, last night, yeah? That was the whole fucking plan the whole time. I could have picked dare, you know.”

“You could have,” Lindsay said with a shrug, pulling her books into her arms and shrugging her shoulders. “But you wanted us to shut the fuck up about it, so we figured you’d say something.”

“It was a fucking interrogation.”

“We were just curious,” Lindsay replied. Then she was hesitating, and the look on her face was one of concern. “Besides,” she said slowly. “Not only is Gavin probably straight, but he’s not exactly known for being the most caring person.”

“And?”

“And,” Lindsay continued, emphasizing the word. “Ray and I had a little discussion. We wanted to make sure we knew what was going on between you two, or at least your side of the situation. Just in case.”

“Just in case what?”

Shooting him a weak smile, Lindsay bit down on her lip, turning on her heel and responding as she walked away. “Just in case he decides it’s a good idea to break your heart, and it suddenly becomes our job to pick up the pieces.”


	9. Chapter 9

Friday couldn’t get there fast enough.

Despite Lindsay’s warning, Michael still couldn’t wait. He knew she was right of course, he shouldn’t get his hopes up for something that would likely never happen. As far as he knew, Gavin had never been with a guy, and Michael had no real reason to believe he would change that for him. There was nothing extraordinary about him, after all.

The only thing he had going for him was that Gavin knew he existed, and had invited him to a party.

A party that just so happened to be tonight.

By the time the end of the day rolled around, Michael could hardly contain himself. His hands shook as he took his books from his locker, no matter how hard he tried to still them, how many times he told himself it was ridiculous. He was acting like the stereotypical teenager with a crush, and he hated it.

He hoped that no one would mention anything, that no one would notice.

For some reason, he wasn’t counting on Ray.

“Little nervous there, Michael?” The boy was tugged harshly from his thoughts by the sound of Ray's voice, and then he was clearing his throat defensively.

As he straightened his back and plastered a confused look across his face, Michael turned to Ray. “Why do you say that?” The look on his face was one of ignorance, though it was obvious it was forced.

“Oh come on, no one stands like that in real life. Besides, your hands were shaking like the end of the world is underway.”

A scoff passed Michael’s lips before he could help it, his words soft as he replied. “It just might be.”

“Worried about tonight?”

“Wow, are you Einstein? Because that is some genius insight."   
Rolling his eyes, Ray tried to force the amused look from his face, though it soon proved to be impossible. “No need to be an asshole about it, I was just trying to be nice.”

“I still haven’t forgiven you for truth or dare.”

“Really? Fuck Michael, that was ages ago, you're serious?”

Michael shrugged his shoulders as he plastered an amused grin across his face. “Your fault for being such a bitch.”

“It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t even my idea! It was Lindsay!”

From somewhere across the school, Michael could have sworn he heard the girl yelling. Whether it was true or not, Michael couldn’t help himself from chuckling. “I believe that,” he said. “But you didn’t have to go along with her. Contrary to popular belief, she’s not the boss of us.”

For a second, Ray hesitated, and then he was shaking his head. “I beg to differ.”

Again, Michael laughed. “Fair enough. But-”

“No buts,” Ray insisted. “Lindsay would fucking kill me if I let you get hurt, even unintentionally.”

Studying the other boy’s face intently, Michael narrowed his eyes. “You don’t believe that,” he said simply. “Not really. There’s something you’re not telling me, something you're scared of or avoiding for some reason. Spill it.”

A groan escaped Ray’s lips and then he was rolling his eyes. “See, this is one of the many downfalls of having a friend you’ve known since elementary school. How the fuck do you do that, read my expression like that?”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if I was just making shit up, you fell for it, I know I'm right now. Just answer the fucking question.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t.”

There was a long pause, and then Ray was responding. “You… we’re in high school now.” Ray paused again there, as if he was still trying to determine how best to continue. However, Michael couldn’t help himself from speaking up. 

“Yeah, no shit. Get to the best part of what you’re trying to say, why don’t you?”

“God, you’re an asshole.”

“And?”

Rolling his eyes as a chuckle escaped his lips, Ray shrugged his shoulders. “Since we’re in high school, that means we’re getting older. And sometimes getting older means making decisions and, maybe more importantly, making mistakes for yourself. You’re not going to have someone hanging over your shoulder trying to protect you for your whole live. At some point you have to suck it up and learn for yourself.”

“So you want to abandon me.”

“Essentially, yeah.” The boy’s tone was joking, but Michael wasn’t convinced that he didn’t mean it, at least to some extent.

“You don’t think I should try to get Gavin to notice me, either,” he said through a sigh.

“I never said that.”

Though Michael didn’t respond at first, he shrugged his shoulders once more. “Not in so many words, no. But you’re implying it, you think it’s a mistake.”

“I think he’s straight, and I’m not convinced that he’s not trying to fuck with you by inviting you to this party. It’s not exactly a well kept secret that Gavin Free is a fucking asshole.”

As much as Michael hated to admit it, he knew Ray was right. In some roundabout sort of way, it was part of what Michael found so appealing about him. He was the bad boy Michael had always tried to be. Some sort of dipshit combination of jock and bad boy and it was fucking sexy. However, despite knowing all of these things to be true, Michael was denying it a moment later. “He wouldn’t do that to me, Ray. He hardly knows me, has barely said a word to me. Why in the hell would he mess with me like that?”

The more Michael spoke, the more he began to believe his own words. He was sinking quickly into a trap of his own making, and he didn’t care. Before Ray could say anything more, Michael was taking a step back.

“I’m going to the party tonight,” he said confidently. “And it’s going o be fucking fantastic, whether Gavin pays attention to me or not. You can come if you want, but nothing you or Lindsay or anyone else can say is stopping me.”

 

——

 

Though Lindsay didn’t necessarily approve of Michael’s going to the party, she accompanied him anyways.

“I’m not going to miss out on a good party,” she had said with a laugh and a roll of her eyes. “I may be stubborn sometimes, but I’m not going to skip out on a good time.”

Ray, on the contrary, had opted out of the get together. He didn’t want to drink, didn’t like it, and had insisted that he would rather not be surrounded by people who had been intoxicated the entire night. Though Michael understood, he couldn’t help himself from being slightly disappointed.

The rest of their small group had come as well, but the second they were through the doors had split off into their own directions. Miles and Kerry were currently playing beer pong, having already collected a small group of bystanders to watch them.

A chuckle escaped Michael’s lips as he stared at the two, and then he was turning back to Lindsay. He practically had to yell to be heard above the music. “They’re really something, huh?”

“Who? Miles and Kerry?”

Michael nodded, and then Lindsay was laughing and nodding. “Yeah,” she yelled back. “They really fucking are. Somehow always find some way to amuse themselves, and get some other people interested in the meantime. Wish I could do that.”

“I could do that,” Michael said, emphasizing the words. “I just choose not to. It’s a whole lot easier to stick to yourself and a few friends. Why do you think I’m hanging out with you when I’m surrounded by a bunch of people that are way cooler?”

As he said the words, Michael knew exactly what he was doing, and he laughed as Lindsay’s jaw dropped and she placed a hand on her chest in fake offense. “Michael, I’m hurt.”

“No you’re not, asshole.”

A giggle escaped the girl’s lips, and then she was shoving at Michael’s shoulder. “Okay, maybe not. But I…” Lindsay continued speaking, but in Michael’s mind her voice had trailed off. From across the room, he had set eyes on Gavin, the whole reason he was here in the first place. The world slowed around him as he stared at the other boy.

And it just so happened that Gavin fucking Free was walking directly towards them.

 


	10. Chapter 10

There were so many thoughts running through Michael's head as Gavin approached them that he couldn't even stop to focus on one.

When he did finally snap out of his trance, he was grabbing roughly at Lindsay's elbow, jerking her in the opposite direction. 

"Michael, what-"

"Shut up and come on, fucking hell."

"But your future boyfriend-"

At those few words, Michael was making a frustrated noise, throwing his free up in frustration. What the fuck is it with you people?" He asked, emphasizing the words. For fucks sake, I-" Michael was being cut short when he realized Gavin was within hearing distance. He let go of Lindsay's arm.

"Goddamn, if just having Gavin in your general vicinity makes you shut up then we should keep him around more often."

"I fucking hate you," Michael said through gritted teeth. He shut his eyes tightly. "I hate you, I hate-"

"You don't. If you really, honest to god hated me, you would have gotten rid of me a long ass time ago. I've always been like this, and you've always been like that, so touchy and shit." Michael prepared himself for a lecture, and was surprised when he realized that he no longer heard the girl.

Hesitantly, Michael opened his eyes, but almost as soon as he had done so he was regretting it. Standing directly in front of the two of them was Gavin motherfucking Free, the whole goddamn reason he was in this mess to begin with.

Something inside of him wanted to bitch at Gavin, to shove at him and roll his eyes and do all of the things that would piss him off, just because he had pissed Michael off himself. However, when it really came down to it, Michael couldn’t will himself to move at all.

And so he stood, mouth opened slightly as he attempted to spit something out. He still hadn’t managed to say anything when Gavin laughed - that only resulted in a blush creeping across Michael’s cheeks.

“Having a hard time there, love?” Gavin asked, his eyes sparkling playfully. “I mean, I know I’m stunning and all, but I had no idea that I was  _ breathtaking.” _

“Fuck you.”

_ There it was. _

“Maybe later.”

_ Damnit. _

As hard as he tried to contain his emotions at the words, Michael could feel the warmth starting to wash over his body. 

It couldn’t all be because of Gavin, right? Michael wanted to blame the close vicinity of everyone else in the room, the bodies that were far too closely packed together, and what he could have sworn was breath on his neck. Maybe it was Lindsay, it wouldn’t have been the first time she had fucked with him like that. 

Just the same, Michael hoped it was too dark in the room to notice.

For what seemed like forever, not one of the three said a single world, and though the party roared on around them, it seemed like there was silence. Then the familiar sound of Lindsay’s voice was reaching Michael’s ears.

“Well, sorry to rain on your guy’s parade, not being here and all, but I’m going to go get some punch.”

Turning on her heel, Lindsay caught Michael’s eye and goddamn  _ winked _ before finally walking away. If she had left him with literally anyone else, Michael would have chased after her and went off on her for abandoning him.

But some part of him knew that she was only trying to help, that she was trying to give him some alone time with the boy of his dreams, even if he wouldn’t admit it. 

Before Michael had the time to fully sort through his thoughts, Gavin was clearing his throat, drawing Michael’s attention as he snapped his head up catch Gavin’s eye.

The other boy had the slightest traces of a smirk playing at his lips, and he nodded his head in the direction Lindsay had left in. “Subtle.”

Again, Michael flushed, internally cursing himself. “Yeah, her specialty. It’s like she gets off on putting me in awkward situations, sorry about that.”

Gavin shrugged, the smirk still hanging around the corners of his lips. “Don’t be sorry, I like her.” 

At the words, Michael couldn’t help but chew on his lip, trying his best to pick apart just what the other boy meant by them. Then Gavin was speaking once more. “How do you like the party? You know, so far.”

Michael tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he simply shrugged, reaching his hand around to scratch at the back of his neck. “I mean, it’s not bad. Decent beer, that’s what I’m really here for.”

“You’re not here because I asked you to be?”

Again, Michael fumbled his words, struggling to make his lips and tongue form any essence of a sentence. “I, I mean, you - I-”

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for Michael, Gavin didn’t let him stumble for much longer. He was cutting Michael’s words off with a laugh, and the butterflies Michael had been feeling in his stomach must have started having offspring.

“It’s alright, love,” Gavin said, and Michael felt his body warm further still at the pet name. “There’s no need to be nervous. It’s just me.”

_ Yeah, right. By ‘just me’, he means Gavin Free, the guy that quite definitely, one hundred percent isn’t gay. He’s fucking with me, he has to be fucking with me. _

Despite the frantic thoughts swirling through Michael’s mind, he managed a weak chuckle. “Yeah, just you.” Then he was biting down on his lip, eyes scanning over the amusement on Gavin’s face before blurting out an expansion to his response. “You know, come to think of it, I’ll catch up with you later, yeah? I have to go find Lindsay, make sure she stays conscious and whatnot.”

And with that, he too was turning on his heel and walking away.

 

\----

  
  


By the time Michael found Lindsay, it was obvious that he was pissed.

“You’re a fucking traitor,” he announced as he stopped in front of her. At the words, Lindsay was grinning widely.

“And how did it go? Do I have to go kick his ass for you?”

A bit of a flush again worked its way up to Michael’s cheeks, and then he was shrugging his shoulders. After a bit of a pause, in which Lindsay only stared at him, Michael responded. “It went alright. I mean, as good as it’s gonna go, right?”

“What the fuck does that mean? Does he act like he wants to  _ do it _ or not?”

“Lindsay,” Michael hissed, kicking at the girl’s shins. Then he was looking around, in an attempt to see if anyone had heard. Luckily, they hadn’t. “What the fuck, make up your mind. Either you’re trying to protect me from him or hook me up with him, you can’t do both.”

The amused look that had previously been plastered across Lindsay’s face fell at the words, and then she was licking her lips. “I just want to- I can too do both.”

“And how do you expect to do that?”

“I can try to hook you guys up, but the second anything goes wrong, I can swoop in like your knight in shining armor. You’re the damsel in distress.”

“I am not-”

“Totally are. Totally damsel-esque. All you need is a dress.”

Michael rolled his eyes, fighting the fact that the corners of his lips were beginning to tug up into a smile. “I fucking hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Lindsay replied, and her tone was more sing-songy than it had been before. “I mean, not to quote like our entire friend group or anything.”

For a moment, Michael tried to keep a straight face. His eyebrows were angled downward dramatically, but due to the still amused smile on the girl’s face, Lindsay wasn’t falling for it.

Letting out a long sigh, Michael rolled his eyes, rubbing a hand over his face as he stuck up the middle finger of his opposite hand. “Fucking fine. But you’re still a bitch for leaving me like that.”

Lindsay considered that, and the thoughtful look on her face was nothing short of torture to Michael. He had seen that expression on more than one occasion, and it never seemed to turn out well for him.

“Fine,” she replied after what must have been at least a minute. “If you’re angry with me for leaving, then I guess we’ll have to find out what happens when I actually  _ participate _ in a conversation with the two of you.”

With that, she was grabbing Michael’s hand and dragging him back in the direction they had come from. Michael tried to protest, but it was to no avail.

He had said it before, and he’d say it again.

He was fucked.


	11. Chapter 11

“We’re back,” Lindsay sang as she approached Gavin, dragging Michael with her as she went. Michael wanted to curse her out when he saw the corners of the other boy’s lips tug up in amusement.

He almost did just that, but Gavin beat him to speaking. “Your little group really does enjoy messing with you, don’t they love? First Ray, now-”

“Lindsay,” the girl cut him off, sticking her hand out. “We haven’t actually met.”

“Yes, but I have heard of you.” Regardless, Gavin took her hand. Then he was raising it to his lips and he actually fucking _kissed it._ How more goddamn cliched and weird could you get?

Michael couldn’t help but be the tiniest bit jealous.

“Well, aren’t you charming,” Lindsay said, but even as the words left her lips, she was pulling her hand away, eyes darting to glance Michael out of the corner of her eye. He only shrugged, not wanting to let her see how much he actually cared. Instead, he forced an amused smile onto his face, looking up at Gavin and raising an eyebrow.

“Flirt with everyone you meet, then? First calling me love, then kissing her hand.” The tone was joking, though there was a hint of accusation in his voice. 

Gavin didn’t seem phased, only laughing before shrugging his own shoulders. “Can’t help it. Pretty boy, pretty girl. Seemed appropriate.”

_Appropriate. That’s a word._

However, despite the resentment starting to settle on his mind, Michael couldn’t tear his attention away from the fact that Gavin had called him pretty. He tried not to think about it too much, a blush rising to his cheeks every time he did.

“Whatever.” It was far too simple a response, clearly showing that he didn’t know what else to say. For a minute, no one said a word, and then Lindsay was clearing her throat. The amusement plastered across Gavin’s face hadn’t flickered, but at the sound he was letting his eyes drift to Lindsay instead of where they had been glued to Michael.

“Alright then.” Her tone was peppy, but Michael recognized it as the one she used when trying to change the subject. “Anyways. Enjoying your party then, Gavin?”

Gavin smiled, his eyes shining as he nodded his head. “Of course. But it could always get better.” As the words left his lips, Michael could have sworn Gavin had winked at him.

Blinking once, twice, Michael shook his head.

_There’s no fucking way-_

“I know you just went for punch, but straight beer is better. Either of you care to join me?”

_Shit._

Before Michael was able to get past his shock, Lindsay was shaking her head. “I’m good, you two go on ahead.” With that, she was shoving Michael forward, causing him to stumble and lose his footing. He closed his eyes for impact with the ground, cheeks already burning in embarrassment, but before he fell completely, strong hands were grabbing ahold of his shoulders and holding him up.

Scrambling to stand on his own, Michael bit down on his lip. He was suddenly much closer to Gavin than he had before, and he could only thank Lindsay for that. Despite that fact, he flipped her off behind his back.

“I could go for a beer,” he said with a shrug, and then a grin was breaking across the other boy’s face.

“Bloody perfect, let’s go.”

 

\----

 

In retrospect, Michael probably shouldn’t have agreed. 

He had already lost track of how many beers he was in when that thought crossed his mind. But it was too late. Every other second he had an urge to stumble over to Gavin and ball his fists in his shirt, kissing him for all he was worth. As much as Michael tried to resist, the thoughts still persisted. Rubbing his hands over his face, the boy groaned.

“Come on, Michael,” Gavin said, and his words were slurred. “I dare you to drink another.”

Swatting at the air, Michael groaned. “No, come on, asshole.”

“I _dared_ , you, come on. You have to do it now.”

If Gavin had been anyone else, Michael would have told them to fuck off. But Gavin was looking at him so eagerly, his eyes bright and shining, and Michael just couldn’t make himself refuse.

Michael rolled his eyes as he grabbed the cup from the other boy, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as he downed it, wanting to get it over with.

As soon as he had done so, he realized his mistake.

It had been just enough to push him over the edge, he had hit the point of no return. Groaning once more, Michael threw the empty cup at Gavin, throwing an arm over his face dramatically. “I hate you. I’m drunk now.”

“You were drunk before.” Gavin giggled as he spoke, and Michael couldn’t help the corners of his lips from tugging up into a smile.

“I still hate you.”

 

\-----

 

Throughout the night, Gavin had gotten progressively closer to him, and the more he drank, the touchier he became. Michael tried to ignore it, tried to tell himself it was nothing. He didn’t want to get his hopes up for something that would never happen.

With Gavin plastered against his side, running his fingers along his thighs, that was a lot easier said than done.

“Gavin, what the fuck are you doing?” Michael asked as he leaned in the opposite direction. “Fuck off.”

“Aww, but Michael,” Gavin said, putting special emphasis on the way the name rolled off of his tongue. Michael had to suppress a shudder. “You love it.”

“And what makes you say that?”

With that, Gavin was poking at Michael’s cheek, a goofy grin plastered across his face. “Because your face gets all red, you’re not bloody subtle.”

“Well, neither are you.”

No sooner than the words had left his lips, Gavin was grabbing the side of his face, turning him to kiss him. It was little more than a peck, but it was enough to startle Michael.

When Gavin pulled away, Michael struggled to speak. “W-what-”

“You’re right love, I don’t do subtle.”

Before Michael was able to spit out a coherent thought, Gavin was grinning, his eyes shining as he got to his feet. Then he was shooting Michael a wink before walking away. There was a certain swagger to his walk, like he knew exactly what the fuck he had just done and didn’t give a single shit.

It both pissed Michael off and turned him on at the same time.

For what seemed like hours, Michael could only stare. Then he was dropping his head back against the couch he had been sitting on, staring at the ceiling for lack of anything better to do.

“What the _fuck._ ”


End file.
